President Cyril Ramaphosa. Photo by South African Presidency
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s speech at the Brics political dialogue gala dinner on Tuesday may suggest the expansion of the grouping is unlikely to be concluded in August, when the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa meet for its summit.
Several African countries, including Algeria and Egypt, have shown interest in joining the Brics and are expected to attend the summit in Johannesburg next month.
South Africa, Russia and China have expressed a keen interest in the expansion of the grouping, while India and Brazil are said to be less enthusiastic.
South Africa’s eagerness to include African countries has also raised scepticism in some corners of the ANC and the country’s diplomatic community.
Insiders who previously spoke to the M&G said South Africa could lose its strategic influence should it vote for countries such as Egypt and Nigeria to join Brics. These two countries have bigger GDPs, with South Africa coming in third, as well as bigger populations.
Ramaphosa on Tuesday said more countries were attracted to the idea of Brics, but that many bilateral and multilateral settings on the expansion required “closer scrutiny and understanding”.
“Therefore the show [of] interest [in] Brics should also take full account of the initiatives that are already in place. Indeed, we should avoid unnecessary duplications and make sure that we derive efficiencies wherever we find ourselves,” he said.
This is a different tone to what it has previously been expressed in early statements about the expansion.
Taking a page from India’s foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar Ramaphosa said Brics parties must develop proposals regarding criteria for expanding Brics.
During the Brics foreign ministers meeting in June, Jaishankar said part of their mandate was to consolidate how the existing Brics members were working with each other.
“The second part of it is how the Brics engages non-Brics countries. And the third part of it is how we look at potential expansion. So what will be the appropriate format for that is also something relatable on. So, bottom line, we are still working on it,” he said.
Brazil’s Mauro Vieira also punted a need for rigorous debate before the issue of expansion could be finalised, saying that the foreign ministers had just started the discussion.
Between the five countries, they control 31.5% of the world’s GDP and 40% of its population. Its expansion and the growing calls for an alternative to the dollar would threaten the West and its geopolitical and economic hold.
India and China’s diplomatic tensions are likely to also affect the potential for an expansion. India recently blocked a move by South Africa to have the Brics summit hosted by China, Deputy President Paul Mashatile earlier confirmed to the Mail & Guardian.
The move was caused by the International Criminal Court’s warrant of arrest for Russia’s President Vladimir Putin over the removal of thousands of children from Ukraine to Russia. South Africa is a signatory of the ICC’s Rome Statute treaty.
“This dialogue is a precursor to the Brics summit that will take place later on in August. We look forward to a physical summit, an important occasion for all Brics countries and more importantly those others participating in one shape, form or other,” Ramaphosa said in his address.
“As South Africa is host, we have extended invitations to a number of countries who we hope will be able to honour these invitations and participate in this very historic summit that will be taking place.”
The summit would also give African countries an opportunity to address the effects of the global geopolitical situation, he said.
“Our continent needs a great deal of development, and having Brics countries here so that we are able to showcase what our continent has to offer is, for us, a great opportunity,” he said.
